The First Anglo-Sikh War - Hardcover

Singh, Amarpal

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1848689837 ISBN 13: 9781848689831

Publisher: Amberley Publishing, 2010

Synopsis

During the eighteenth and early years of the nineteenth century, the red tide of British expansion had covered almost the entire Indian subcontinent, stretching to the borders of the Punjab. There the great Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh had developed his military forces to thwart any British advance into his kingdom north of the River Sutlej. Yet on the death of Ranjit Singh, unworthy successors and disparate forces fought over his legacy while the British East India Company seized on the opportunity and prepared for battle. In the winter of 1845, the First Anglo-Sikh War broke out. From the start, the two-month campaign was marred by Victorian arrogance and bluster on the British side and personal ambition, intrigue and treason in the Sikh camp. Five keenly fought contests ensued, including the great battle of Ferozeshah where the British force found itself caught between two powerful Sikh armies and came close to destruction. Declining to retreat, Sir Hugh Gough, the British Commander-in-Chief, told his second in command: My mind is made up. If we must perish, it is better that our bones should bleach honourably at Ferozeshah than rot at Ferozepore: but they shall do neither the one nor the other. The fate of the British Empire in India would be decided that day. Amarpal S. Sidhu writes a warts and all tale of a conflict characterised by treachery, tragedy and incredible bravery on both sides. In an innovative approach to history writing, the narrative of the campaign is accompanied by battlefi eld guides that draw on eyewitness accounts and invite the reader to take a tour of the battlefi elds, either physically or virtually. Fully illustrated with period drawings, modern-day photographs and new maps, The First Anglo-Sikh War gives a forgotten conflict the meticulous attention it deserves.

About this title

Review:

With this book in hand, the battlefields of the Punjab come alive once again. --Professor Peter Doyle, Battlefield Archaeologist, Co-Secretary, All Party War Graves and Battlefield Heritage Group.

The First Anglo-Sikh War' unearths a wealth of rarely studied sources and marries them to exhaustive field research to produce a detailed study of an important but largely forgotten campaign. --John Keay, Historian, Author of India: A History

The sections on the battlefields today, which include vivid descriptions of the aftermath of combat by eyewitnesses, so often overlooked in works of military history, will help to make this a key work for a long time to come. --Dr. Tony Pollard, Battlefield archaeologist (BBC TV series presenter Two Men in a Trench)

About the Author:

Amarpal S. Sidhu was born in India in 1962 and moved to Britain when he was six years old. He has had a long-standing interest in both military history and the exploration and analysis of battlefields. He currently lives with his family in London. This is his first book, but he is already working on its sequel, The Second Anglo-Sikh War.

About this edition

• Publisher: Amberley Publishing
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1848689837
• ISBN 13: 9781848689831
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256